Infrared (IR) or similar wireless communication between and among computers and similar devices is well known. Conventional prior art approaches include a personal computer case, such as a tower case illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, with an external add-on IR device (or an external adapter or dongle) connected to one of the ports on the back of the computer. Separate external devices (not shown), such as other computers, keyboards, instruments or the like, can communicate with the personal computer via the external add-on IR device, through the dongle.
While such prior art arrangements provide certain benefits over their hard-wired predecessors (e.g., predecessor systems in which keyboards and others computers were physically cabled to each other), the arrangements still have numerous shortcomings. Among other things, the desired IR communication with the device may be difficult to establish, especially with an acceptable degree of reliability. For example, typical IR communication of this sort requires a clear "line of sight" between the communicating devices. Conventional IR devices on the personal computer may not be readily "seen" by the other communicating IR device because they may be near the rear of the computer, turned away from the front of the computer (because of being bumped or the like), or otherwise not reliably positioned for the desired communication. In other words, the "line of sight" necessary to establish IR communication between the personal computer's IR device and some other IR device may not be readily and repeatably established, because the computer's IR device may be moved, other paraphernalia may be placed between the computer's IR device and the other IR device, etc.
Such conventional IR communication arrangements also tie up a port on the back of the computer (which may be in high demand, especially in our age of an increasing variety and number of peripheral devices vying for a limited number of ports). There is also some possibility that the external dongle connection to the back of the computer might be inadvertently dislodged, disrupting or preventing the desired IR communication. The dongle also adds to the tangled mess of wires commonly found on the rear of personal computers.
Other prior art devices (not shown) incorporate an IR device fixed to the entire unitary front panel of a tower case. Examples of this type of device include the NEC PowerMate Pro150 or NEC Model No. 9542, among others. While this addresses some of the problems set forth above (the IR device is "fixed" with respect to the case), it does not provide any benefits to the millions and millions of existing tower cases; instead, it effectively requires a user to purchase an entire new computer and housing if the user desires some solution to some of the problems identified above.